Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine blades and turbine vanes must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. Turbine blades, vanes and other components often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of these items and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures.
Typically, turbine vanes extend radially inward from a vane carrier and terminate within close proximity of a rotor assembly. The turbine vanes typically include a plurality of cooling channels positioned in internal aspects of the turbine vanes. A controlling factor in the design of the internal cooling channels is the pressure differential between the internal cooling channels and the outer combustor gases. Often, the pressure differential is too small to enable film cooling orifices to be used effectively. As a result, the capacity to cool the turbine vanes is limited and thus, the operating range and potential growth of the turbine engine are thereby limited as well. Thus, a need exists for a more efficient cooling fluid feed system design for row one turbine vanes to provide pressurized cooling fluids to enable turbine engine growth and increased operating range.